Mammalian Ecology and Conservation Unit, Veterinary Genetics Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Wildlife Genetics Research Unit, Wildlife Health Laboratory, Sacramento, CA, USA.
Mol Biol Evol. 2024 Sep 4;41(9). doi: 10.1093/molbev/msae193.
A few iconic examples have proven the value of facilitated gene flow for counteracting inbreeding depression and staving off extinction; yet, the practice is often not implemented for fear of causing outbreeding depression. Using genomic sequencing, climatic niche modeling, and demographic reconstruction, we sought to assess the risks and benefits of using translocations as a tool for recovery of endangered montane red fox (Vulpes vulpes) populations in the western United States. We demonstrated elevated inbreeding and homozygosity of deleterious alleles across all populations, but especially those isolated in the Cascade and Sierra Nevada ranges. Consequently, translocations would be expected to increase population growth by masking deleterious recessive alleles. Demographic reconstructions further indicated shallow divergences of less than a few thousand years among montane populations, suggesting low risk of outbreeding depression. These genomic-guided findings set the stage for future management, the documentation of which will provide a roadmap for recovery of other data-deficient taxa.
一些标志性的例子证明了促进基因流动在对抗近交衰退和避免灭绝方面的价值；然而，由于担心引起远交衰退，这种做法往往没有实施。本研究使用基因组测序、气候生态位建模和种群重建，评估了利用易位作为工具恢复美国西部濒危山地红狐（Vulpes vulpes）种群的风险和益处。我们发现，所有种群的近交和有害等位基因的纯合度都有所升高，但在喀斯喀特山脉和内华达山脉隔离的种群中尤为明显。因此，易位预计将通过掩盖有害隐性等位基因来增加种群的增长。种群重建进一步表明，山地种群之间的分歧不到几千年，这表明远交衰退的风险很低。这些基于基因组的研究结果为未来的管理奠定了基础，对这些结果的记录将为其他数据缺乏的类群的恢复提供路线图。
